Smoking May Interfere with Sleep, Study Shows

Smoking may interfere with a good night's sleep, a new study suggests.

Despite being well established as the leading cause of preventable death and a wide range of health problems, smoking's effects on sleep are little understood.

In an effort to fill this gap in knowledge, researchers from the University of Florida and Research Triangle Park examined the relationship between sleep difficulty and smoking status among a nationally representative sample.

Twelve percent of current smokers, they found, reported trouble falling asleep, while 10 percent complained of waking too early. An additional 11 percent, moreover, said they often woke during the night.

Insufficient sleep is associated with a wide range of health problems, including depression, diabetes and high blood sugar. As a result, the researchers hypothesize that smokers may be putting themselves at risk for much more than the commonly recognized health problems associated with smoking, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

In an effort to decrease smoking rates across the United States, government health officials launched an anti-smoking campaign last year using funding provided by the Affordable Care Act's Prevention and Public Health Fund. Called "Tips From Former Smokers," the campaign was designed to depict in graphic detail the effects of smoking.

According to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the campaign prompted more than 1.6 million Americans to try to quit, of which 200,000 succeeded. 

All told, the results far exceeded the campaign's original goals of 500,000 quit attempts and 50,000 successful quits.

"This is exciting news," CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a statement. "Quitting can be hard, and I congratulate and celebrate with former smokers -- this is the most important step you can take to a longer, healthier life."

According to the CDC, more than 1,200 people living in the United States die every day due to the effects of smoking.